Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most cancer in women and nearly 7000 women are diagnosed each year with the disease in the UK alone. Even though 90% of women live for more than five years if caught early, the dificulty of early diagnosis means that most women are not treated until it has spread further, making treatment difficult and survival rates lower. Unfortunately there is not yet a proven screening tool for ovarian cancer, though a large scale trial is currently underway with encouraging results but will take several years to be completed. Currently awareness of the disease is low, with a 2007 survery by Ovarian Action Cancer finding that 16% of women were aware of the disease and 66% were unable to name any symptoms.
Diagnosis can be difficult as symptoms are often similar to those caused by less serious conditions but you should always discuss them with your doctor and ask if ovarian cancer is a possibility, and always seek a second opinion if you're not satisified. Symptoms can include:
- Persistent pelvic and stomach pain
- Increased abdominal size/persistent bloating - not bloating that comes and goes
- Difficulty eating and feeling full quickly
- Urinary symptoms
- Changes in bowel habit
- Extreme fatigue
- Back pain
- General weak or tired feeling
Don't just leave it be and hope that it will get better, life isn't always that kind and cancer will kill you.
Risk Factors
There are certain circumstances that can affect your risk of getting ovarian cancer:
- Family History. If you have two or more relations from either side of your family affected by breast and/or ovarian cancer your risk may be increased.
- Age The majority of cases occur over the age of 40, however, some types of ovarian cancer do appear in women as young as 18.
- ChildbirthThere is a slight increased risk to women who have not had children, or breastfed.
- WeightBeing overweight can increase the risk.
- EthnicityWomen of Jewish, Polish, Icelandic and Pakistani race are at an increased risk as research has shown these women have a higher incidence of carrying a faulty gene responsible for inherited risk of developing ovarian cancer.
- HRTResearch has shown that different types of HRT have varying levels of risk, and that women who take HRT for longer than 5 years have an increased risk, which returns to normal after termination of the HRT.
Factors that may help to reduce your risk:
- Childbirth The more children you have, the less likely you are to have ovarian cancer.
- Taking the contraceptive pill A 2008 study indicated that if women take the contraceptive pill over a prolonged time period, there is a lesser risk of developing ovarian cancer and this reduction in risk continued 30 years after women ceased taking the contraceptive pill.
- Breast feedingResearch suggests that breastfeeding could provide a preventative effect for ovarian cancer.
- Having a hysterectomy or having your tubes tied.
- Painkillers There is some evidence that some painkillers may reduce your risk but further research is needed on this subject.